


Their Ritual

by Moriarty_Sisters



Category: Night at the Museum (Movies)
Genre: Fluff, Gentle Kissing, Knifeplay, M/M, Marking, Rituals, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2020-08-16
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:01:57
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,151
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25927825
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moriarty_Sisters/pseuds/Moriarty_Sisters
Summary: Jedidiah and Octavius have a special ritual they perform every Sunday
Relationships: Jedediah & Octavius (Night at the Museum), Jedediah/Octavius (Night at the Museum)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 46





	Their Ritual

**Author's Note:**

> Warning: Contains knifeplay and marking
> 
> The vows were written by natm-ask-account on Tumblr

Jedidiah unfroze atop his horse as his men set to work on the railroad for the evening. Even though they knew it wasn’t going anywhere, it just felt natural to do it. He observed the scene for a moment before he rode his way over to where some of his men were struggling to move a piece of rail, jumping off and taking a hold of the rope. 

“C’mon, git ‘er boys. We got some Manifest Destiny to fulfill!”, one man yelled. Jed whooped as they maneuvered the rail towards the unfinished track, settling it with the help of some other men. 

“Steady ‘er! Good on ya, boys. This track’ll be history!”, the blond said, wiping his brow as they lowered the rail, before trading friendly slaps on the back with his men. 

Jed turned towards the front of the diorama with a large grin as one of his men clapped him on the shoulder, seeing if anyone noticed their celebration. Some of the other men noticed and whooped in response, but Jed was focused on the flash of red that appeared, sending excitement through him.

“Tavi!”, the cowboy shouted, unable to contain his excitement and bounding over to the Roman with one last pat on the other cowboy’s shoulder. It was Sunday, they had decided that would be the day they rested. The two of them didn’t consider freezing in the morning to be rest, so Octavius had proposed that they take one day a week for rest in Rome.

“Hello, my love.” Octavius’s lips pulled into a wide grin as he saw the blond he had been scanning for. “I see you’ve been busy.”, he said, taking in the flush of Jed’s face.

“Only ‘til you got here. I ain’t wanna interrupt like last week.”, the blond shrugged, crossing his arms. Octavius rolled his eyes as he slipped his helmet off, tucking it under his arm.

“Yes, because you got bored while we trained and decided you were going to launch yourself in the catapult and my men had to stop you.”, the Roman chuckled at the memory as he stepped closer to the other man. 

“Can’t help it, you were going over basics.”, Jed teased as they started to make their way out of the West. That earned a huff out of the general, who tilted his chin up.

“I will inform you that maneuvering a sword is more difficult than you think. Stabbing ankles does not count, Jedidiah.”, Oct said, knowing what Jed would retaliate with. The cowboy stopped walking with a pout, but ran to catch up as Oct continued.

“‘Scuse me for livin’ a little.”, he muttered. Oct just pinched him, smirking at the squeal Jed gave as they stepped into the Roman diorama. The cowboy bounced excitedly, running over to Oct’s quarters and standing by the door as he waited.

“You seem very energetic today, I will not get kicked off the bed, will I?”, the soldier joked, opening the door and ushering in his lover. Jed shook his head as the door closed. 

“Naw, Octy, promise.”, the blond said, setting his hat down and untying the red cloth around his neck. The Roman nodded, placing his helmet down as well and watching the cowboy strip his gloves and shirt.

He had already long admitted that he could stare at Jedidiah shirtless for hours, but there was something missing.

“Your mark is gone.”, Octavius said softly, reaching out to run his thumb over where there should have been one on Jed’s chest, right over his heart. The cowboy looked down after hearing the words.

“I guess it’s time then.”, Jed looked up with a grin, one that Oct couldn’t help returning. He pulled the other man into the bedroom. As the blond settled on the bed, Octavius stripped himself. He could feel Jed’s eyes on him as he retrieved the object he needed from a chest in the corner.

Oct gently thumbed the inscription on the blade as he turned to find Jed, stripped completely and laying pliantly on the bed. The Roman felt a warm rush of affection as they prepared for their ritual. 

He slowly climbed on top of Jed, dipping his head down to kiss him softly, the knife laying next to them. Jed shivered under his touch, but pressed against him anyway as he wrapped an arm around his lover’s neck. 

The Roman was the one to break the kiss, sliding down a bit to nuzzle at the cowboy’s chest, nosing and kissing the spot where he was going to mark his lover. He purred when he felt fingers tangle in his hair, softly petting. 

“Octavius.” Jed’s voice was quiet and soft. “Mark me.”

The named pressed one last kiss to the spot, before sitting up, shifting so he was straddling the cowboy. His fingers found the handle of the knife and he pressed the flat of the blade to Jed’s chest.

Jed’s hand came up to cover the Oct’s, the two holding eye contact before they began to speak, Oct in Latin and Jed in English.

“Pugione in manu…” _With this dagger in hand…_

“...remember my trust in you.” _...memento mei fiducia_.

The two figures met in the middle for a sweet kiss, Jed stroking the back of Oct’s head. As they pulled away, the blond pulled the other back down to rub their noses together, pulling soft giggles out of both of them.

Oct sat back, picking up the blade again and placing the sharp edge against the smooth chest under him. Jed grabbed his partner’s free hand, watching as Oct slid the blade over his heart to make the first light cut. 

Jed gasped softly, enjoying the feeling of the cold blade and the spark of feeling the cut opening. This was their most intimate, it was sacred to them. 

No one would ever witness this moment, aside from them. The only one to have witnessed the act was Ahkmenrah, as he had asked the gods to bless their ritual. Gods help the person who is yet to stumble upon them in their most intimate moments, for even the gods will be more merciful than the two lovers.

The Roman made the second cut as carefully as the first and the cowboy let his head fall back, watching with half-open eyes and a dopey smile. He felt light as a feather, letting out a sigh of satisfaction.

“Love ya, Octy.”, Jed murmured as Oct placed the blade to the side. The older man smiled gently and he bent down to lick gently over the cut. Jed exhaled softly as his lover’s tongue swept the cut area. His hand came up to cup the back of the Roman’s neck, holding him in place.

Oct pulled away after a few moments, pressing soft kisses to the mark before leaning up and catching the other man in a kiss. Jed’s lips felt like leather, but that was what Oct loved about him. He pressed closer, getting a small noise out of the other man.

Jed broke the kiss this time, but pressed their foreheads together, keeping an arm around his lover’s neck as he nuzzled the older man’s cheek, fingers lightly stroking Oct’s shoulder. Stilling for a moment, they let silence fill the room as the two men held each other close.

“Jedidiah”, Oct whispered, so quietly, the cowboy almost didn’t hear him even in the silence.

“Mm.”, was all Jed said as he tried to nuzzle closer. Oct leaned into the touch, kissing his lover’s jaw until he was pressed cheek-to-cheek with Jedidiah, and he could nuzzle the spot under his ear.

“I give you the nickname: ‘my soul,’ for that is what you are. Without you, I would cease to live to the fullest. You are my best friend, Jedediah. Someone who I can trust with the deepest, darkest parts of me without fearing that you’ll let me go. You have seen many of the bad parts of me and yet you refuse to let your view of me be tarnished.

“I do not know when I first loved you, Jedediah. Knowing when is impossible to pinpoint. Perhaps I have loved you all along. Just like a compass, you are my guide. You helped me discover myself and continue to teach me things about myself that always surprise me. And though life is unpredictable, I always know that I get to turn and see your face as you stand at my side. I promise you my eternal love.”

Jed whimpered softly as the general recited his vows from their union in the tenderest tone, hugging Oct closer, closing his eyes as he wanted to block out everything except the sound of his lover’s voice and his weight on him. He would never get over hearing those vows, no matter how often they were repeated.

The weight on him shifted and he felt Oct press kisses all over his face, and the blond giggled.

“Look what yer doin’ to me, Octy.”

“What I am doing to you, my soul?”, the older man grinned. “What are you doing to me?”

Oct slid off of the blond, laying next to him before pulling Jed on top of him. Silently, he offered the blade handle to Jed. 

“Mark me as yours, Jedidiah.”, he murmured, heart swelling as he saw Jed’s eyes shine.

The cowboy looked down for a moment, admiring the man underneath him. A wave of giddiness washed over him as he giggled and leaned down to kiss Octavius sweetly. He felt the Roman melt into the touch, and Jed felt like he would burst with affection. 

The blond took the offered blade, placing the edge over his lover’s heart. Oct sighed, reaching up to cup Jed’s face, stroking the light stubble as the mark was made. 

Back in Rome, Oct would have never considered allowing a lover to mark him in such a manner as Jed had just done. He may have borne jewelry and robes, but those were material symbols. What Jed had done to him was mark him in a way that couldn’t separate them from each other, a mark above the heart, something he would always carry on his person. And though Jed had never taken a lover, he couldn’t imagine using a weapon for intimacy. 

But here they were, carving small marks into the other’s chest to express their bond.

The older man relaxed into the pillows as the cowboy put the blade on the side table. Jed slid down, like Octavius had done after he finished marking him. The blond pressed small, light kisses to the mark, leaning into the fingers playing in his hair.

Oct gently pressed Jed’s head to lay against his chest, cradling him there for a moment as he gently massaged the cowboy’s scalp.

“Octavius, our love was born out of hate an’ war. A lotta folk told us that we ain’t gonna last. That we should stay friends, cuz passion and romance could only fire up the ol’ “flame of hatred” again. But we proved ‘em wrong.

“I’ll support ya through your trials, and, no matter how bleak things’re lookin’, I’ll never leave ya behind. I’ll treat you as a comrade in war, watching your back and keepin’ yer heart safe. With you by my side, partner, we can face all that opposition.”, Jed murmured his vows, sleepy with love and affection.

Octavius blushed lightly, squeezing the other man close to him. He pushed his leg between Jed’s, using his thigh to scoot Jed up so the cowboy was nuzzled into his neck.

“Peace, Jedidiah.”, he said quietly, turning onto his side and stroking his hand down Jed’s side. The blond giggled softly as the Roman’s hand slipped down to gently rub at Jed’s soft cock.

The cowboy purred, slipping his own hand down to stroke the other man in the same manner. Gently fondling each other was one of the greatest ways to relax for them. Nothing sexual about it, but complete trust and intimacy. Sunday nights often found them cuddled together cupping each other gently, with their foreheads pressed together.

“Love ya, Octavius.”, Jed said, nuzzling into Oct’s shoulder as Octavius gently massaged his balls. 

The Roman hummed, leaning down to kiss his lover’s head. “And I, you, Jedidah.”, Oct murmured, enjoying the feeling of the other man’s fingers gently stroking along his shaft. 

The two fell asleep, cuddled together and intimately protected by each other, knowing the other wore their mark as a true symbol of trust and love. Next Sunday, they would go through the same ritual because of the tablet’s healing ability. And the Sunday after that, and the one after that and so on, so forth.

Gods help the person who is yet to stumble upon them in their most intimate moments, for even the gods will be more merciful than the two lovers.


End file.
